INTRODUCTION:

In recent years, the concept of masculinity has been going through a transformational phase across the globe. Even the Indian society has seen changes in this aspect. Historically, the Indian society has defined masculinity in narrow terms of power, strength, aggression, control and dominance. These expectations have had an adverse impact on not only individual behaviours but also have led to development of broader societal norms which often leads to aggression and inequality. It also creates a culture of silence. But with increasing conversations about gender equality and mental health, there is a growing need to redefine what it means to be a man in India.

Redefining masculinity mostly involves breaking the shackles of outdated stereotypes and embracing the version of manhood that is emotionally intelligent, inclusive and supportive of gender equality. The version of masculinity most popular and prevalent in India is a combination of harmful behaviours perpetuating inequality, violence and emotional unavailability, while discouraging vulnerability and empathy. This often results in controlling behaviours and mis-treatment of women and contributes to societal pressure that men must conform to unrealistic standards of masculinity. How ever the actual notion that should be adopted and is also being widely accepted, challenges the rigid gender norms and allows men to express vulnerability and engage in nurturing behaviours without the fear of judgment. Respecting women, supporting equality, being compassionate and emotionally open and committed to welfare of society, while rejecting harmful stereotypes is an important aspect of positive masculinity.

Role of Media and Social Platforms in Shaping Masculinity:

Social Media Influence on Masculinity and Body Image: Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have played a crucial role in shaping the idea of masculinity across the world. They are reshaping Indian men’s perspectives on their masculinity, body image and societal roles. The old standards of appearance, behaviour and attitudes have been challenged and reformed and the positive outlook is being accepted by many men in India. The unreasonable standards of being muscular, having beard and moustache were being treated as a must-have for men and not personal preferences, which now is defied and men are encouraged to follow their personal preferences freely. Men are now freely embracing their bodies and individualities as they prefer, without any fear of judgments and criticism.

Men’s Fashion Bloggers and Influencers Breaking Gender Norms: Choice of clothes and aesthetics have always been a matter of discussion for both men and women. It is like an unsaid rule that feminine clothes, colours or aesthetics are for women only and men have to be in dark-coloured clothes and aesthetics. The fashion bloggers and influencers have challenged these standards and encouraged men to dress as per their preferences and even embrace feminine aesthetics, styles and colours, breaking the gender norms and outdated standards.

Cinema’s Influence on Masculinity: Mostly Indian cinemas have been showing the toxic version of masculinity through the actions of the heroes and villains. The teenagers, youth and even adults have learned negative aspect of manhood from these cinemas, leading to unrealistic societal expectations and male identity. If a man is emotionally intelligent and supportive of right things then he is seen as less of a man by the society. How ever this notion is also challenged and the positive version of masculinity has been portrayed by some cinemas too. Some of the examples are: Chhichhore (2019), Dear Zindagi (2016), Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), Andhadhun (2018), Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020), 3 Idiots (2009) and Taare Zameen Par (2007). These movies show emotional vulnerability, supportive relationships, challenging toxic norms, empathy and kindness. These movies show men that being supportive, emotionally available, vulnerable and empathetic is not weakness, rather it is one’s true strength and personality that helps them grow and live a better life.

Class and Masculinity:

Masculinity and Class in India: In India, the intersection of class and masculinity is complex and is shaped by cultural and economic factors. The traits associated with masculinity are often experienced differently across socio-economic classes. Upper-class men embody the form of masculinity linked to power, wealth and control. They are expected to be assertive leaders. While in middle-class, masculinity is often tied to the ability to provide for the family. This creates pressure to conform to traditional expectations. The working-class men, however face a more physically demanding form of masculinity, linked to resilience, endurance, toughness and ability to assert dominance. It can be said that irrespective of socio-economic class, men face pressure to conform to ideals of toxic masculinity, leading to emotional suppression, aggression and resitance to gender equality. How ever the availability of resources to cope with or challenge these expectations, determine how these pressures manifest themselves.

The upper class men, however, still have resources and chances to challenge and explore alternative masculinities than the middle-class and working class men, who have to struggle between traditional norms and modern realities. The societal expectations and lack of community solidarity and resources leads to men not being able to embody positive masculinity.

Fashion as a tool of Self-Expression: The men’s fashion in india is evolving everyday with the changing attitudes toward masculinity. But even the acceptance of gender-fluid fashion is often dependent on one’s socio-economic class. The urban elite men have more resources and freedom to challenge norms than those from conservative and rural backgrounds. Even the fashion followed by the elite class is openly accepted and followed but the others experience bullying and criticism for the same fashion. But on a positive note, Indian men are increasingly using fashion to express their identities and preferences beyond traditional norms. This is a step towards embracing positive masculinity.

Gender Roles and Changing Expectations:

The traditional gender roles have shaped the identity of men in India for a long span of time. The men have always avoided household chores and other shared domestic responsibilities treating it as an insult to their masculinity. But the changing expectations and roles have led to men being willing to accepting shared household responsibilities, though in a slow rate. The feminism and evolving family structures have also encouraged men to question rigid gender expectations and redefine gender roles. This is further a step towards positive masculinity, though its not widely accepted yet and still many men are stuck on the old rigid gender roles.

Masculinity, Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being:

Patriarchy has taken a big toll on men’s mental health. The patriarchy pressures men to be strong and emotionally detached which harms men’s mental health and even discourages them from seeking help. They are treated as weak and fragile and subjected to criticism when seeking help to address their issues.

These rigid expectations and pressures also negatively impacts the relationship of men with women, fostering emotional disconnect and unavailability in marriages, friendships and even at workplaces. This is also a big reason relationships and marriages don’t workout these days.

The Role of Men in Gender Equality and Feminism:

In the age of feminism, many men struggle with their role in the movement, unable to understand the new definitions of gender equality. They struggle to find a place and determine actual masculinity. Men can be allies in preventing gender based violence by challenging toxic masculinity. They can also support feminist movements and change societal attitudes towards women and thereby help in reshaping gender relations in India. This will even lead them to understand and embody positive masculinity ensuring a better and free lifestyle without any judgment.

Education’s Role in Shaping Gender Perceptions:

Education plays a vital role in reinforcing or challenging gender expectations. Along with shaping what they learn, the schools also shape how they perceive gender roles. This influences societal norms across generations. The education system in India have often perpetuated patriarchal norms through their textbooks, curriculum and classroom practices, depicting men as breadwinners, leaders, scientists while showing women in domestic roles. Males are portrayed as active and dominant but females are shown as passive, dependent and nurturing. The case is same throughout primary to higher education.

In recent years, the emphasis on gender-sensitive education has been growing. Co-education, gender studies and inclusive teaching practices are challenging traditional gender expectations. Gender studies and feminist literatures have encouraged students to question stereotypes and see gender roles beyond traditional boundaries. Even the educated women advocate for gender equality within their own families and even communities which creates significant effects that challenge traditional norms. All of this ultimately leads towards positive version of masculinity.

The Impact of Male Socialization on Women:

Male socialization in India has a significant impact on women and influences both societal expectations and individual experiences. Male socialization refers to the process of teaching and encouraging boys and men to embody traditional masculinity rooted in patriarchy.

This often reinforces rigid gender roles, teaching men to be dominant, assertive and income earners while socializing women as caregivers and focused on maintaining the home. This leads to creation of an imbalance in society where women are expected to prioritize family over personal or professional growth. This limits their opportunities for independence. More over the idea of men being the bread-winners leads to lesser investment in girls’ education which further perpetuates inequality.

Male socialization in India often encourages men to be controlling over women and see them as objects or possessions that they can own and dominate. This is the reason of high rates of violence against women as even women are conditioned to be silent and accept their roles in the patriarchal society. In present society, with social media giving better access to communication and expression, there are multiple instances where men can be seen misbehaving and giving their unneccesary and unwelcomed opinions on women’s lives and personal choices, to which they have absolutely no relation. These opinions and comments mostly showcase their patriarchal and toxic mindset and are totally derogatory and insulting to women’s dignity. When confronted, most often the reason is the deep-rooted patriarchy which makes them think and act like that and is even difficult to be corrected. This also leads to women having less faith in men as someone who they can rely on and look up to even in dangerous situations, as men themselves are seen as abusers and perpetrators of violence. This further creates a discord between both men and women.

The patriarchy also ingrains the belief that men are one’s responsible for financial stability and women have to be dependent on men for finances. This limits women’s autonomy in making life choices and their bargaining power in relationships. This also hinders the economic independence of women and reinforces their secondary status in society.

The male socialization also perpetuates the idea that women’s roles should be centered around others, that too especially men. This creates sort of identity crisis in women and experience anxiety or depression because of the constant struggle between societal expectations and personal desires. It also leads to women feeling worthlessness and inadequacy.

In recent years, with growth in feminism and growing awareness about gender equality, there is even need to challenge the traditional male socialization. The women are increasingly rejecting restrictive gender roles and focusing on opportunities for personal development. There are even men who are embracing positive masculinity, that support women and advocate gender equality. How ever there are still some men who are reluctant to challenge traditional norms.

CONCLUSION:

The toxic patriarchal notion of masculinity in India has a wide-ranging negative impact on lives of both men and women. Due to this they are unable to express themselves and are burdened with unrealistic standards. The pressure to be bread-winner and strong and independent makes them even more vulnerable. Men struggle with mental health issues and have trouble seeking help as their mental health is not paid attention to. The women also suffer significantly due to these standards and lack faith in men, leading to infuriation towards them.

The positive version of masculinity, however, disregards all the toxic traits associated with traditional masculinity. It promotes emotional intelligence, empathy and vulnerability along with the leadership, responsibility and such other traits that can be useful and important when embodied in a balanced manner with other traits.

There are many men who are willingly recognizing the negativity of patriarchy and embracing positive masculinity. They play significant role in women empowerment as well as trying to create safe space for women. But it is unfortunate that the proportion of such men is less than those who are still reluctant to challenge toxic masculinity and recognise it as the root cause of gender inequalities. There is thus high need to create awareness about the negative impact of traditional masculinity and the impact and need of positive masculinity to ensure gender equality in the society along with ending the long existing gender war.

REFERENCES:

1. I. Sivakumar & K. Manimekalai, Masculinity and Challenges for Women in Indian Culture, Journal of International Studies, 22(5):427-436

2. Motihar, Renuka, “Addressing masculinity in India”, IDR, 12 Dec 2017,

http://www.google.com/url?q=https://idronline.org/addressing-masculinity-in india/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjXoouCuPeMAxWGRPEDHYxsCloQFnoECAgQAg&usg=AOvVaw353pldShJDcu9dBe7liNsG.

3. S. Gill, Harjant, “India, Masculinity, Identity”, Oxford Bibliographies in Anthropology, 20 Feb 2024

4. Philip S., “Becoming Young Men in a New India: Masculinities, Gender Relations and Violence in the Postcolony”, Cambridge University Press, 2022

5. H. Haritha, “Toxic Masculinity, Self Esteem and Mental Health among Young Adult Males”, International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology, 12(4):673-685, Apr 2024

Received on 02.07.2025 Revised on 28.07.2025

Accepted on 18.08.2025 Published on 25.08.2025

Available online from September 08, 2025

Int. J. of Reviews and Res. in Social Sci. 2025; 13(3):147-150.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2687.2025.00022

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.